Garden State Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representatives Jesús "Chuy" García (IL-04) and Jahana Hayes (CT-05) have introduced the Diversifying by Investing in Educators and Students to Improve Outcomes For Youth (DIVERSIFY) Act, legislation that would increase the TEACH Grant award to support students interested in becoming teachers, ensuring an education workforce as diverse as the students it serves. The DIVERSIFY Act would complement administrative improvements to the TEACH Grant by ensuring the grant amount more closely matches college costs.

“Studies show that students benefit from having at least one teacher who looks like them,” said Senator Booker. “For the future success of our young people, we need to encourage more graduates, especially those who come from racial and ethnic minorities, to join the teaching profession. This bill will help create a well-prepared and diverse educator workforce by doubling the TEACH grant program and preventing yearly cuts to the program, helping put more money into the pockets of those who choose the career of teaching.”

“Students deserve to see their own diversity reflected in their teachers. The DIVERSIFY Act will address the shortage in educator diversity by strengthening scholarship programs intended to recruit a diverse education workforce,” said Representative García. “All students benefit from a diverse teaching staff but Latino and Black students, in particular, are more likely to succeed in school when they have teachers that look like them. The DIVERSIFY Act is a key step forward in ending historical barriers to a diverse education workforce and it is high-time we invest in teacher diversity.”

“Having a diverse teacher workforce has been shown to increase attendance rates, improve performance on standardized tests, reduce disciplinary issues, and better chances of pursuing higher education,” said Representative Hayes. “The DIVERSIFY Act will inspire more to consider becoming educators and hopefully teach in the areas where they live. Children need to see it to be it. This legislation is an important step to advance equity in the classroom today and in the future.”

The DIVERSIFY Act will help create a well-prepared and diverse educator workforce by:

• Increasing the maximum TEACH Grant award to $8,000 per year to align with the cost of college today – which exceeds $29,000 a year at four-year colleges and universities.
• Ending annual cuts to the TEACH Grant award which this year alone resulted in a decrease to the maximum award of over $225. Without Congressional action these cuts will continue through 2029.
• Eliminating the harsh loan conversion penalty which can serve as a deterrent to entering the program, and therefore teaching.
• Ensuring that the TEACH Grant program effectively covers the full cost of comprehensive preparation and reduces debt burdens by amending the program to cover the full cost of attendance, rather than just tuition, fees, and institutionally-owned housing.
• Requiring the Secretary of Education to send TEACH Grant recipients who have completed their service an electronic certification noting this accomplishment.
• Supporting early educators by ensuring that they are eligible for TEACH Grants by including service in a high-need early education program, in addition to serving in a high-need school, as an eligible service area and adding early childhood education as a codified shortage subject.

These reforms will help ensure that students have access to diverse teachers who have completed high-quality pathways into the profession.

A fact sheet for the legislation can be found here.

The DIVERSIFY Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

The DIVERSIFY Act is endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Knowledge Works, Chicago Teacher's Union, Latino Policy Forum, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council Chicago, The School Superintendents Association, Higher Education Consortium for Special Education, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Association of State Directors of Special Education, National Center for Learning Disabilities, The Joint National Committee for Languages, National Education Association, New Jersey Education Association, Public Advocacy for Kids, Southern Education Foundation, Teach Plus, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, The Rural School and Community Trust, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Council of Administrators of Special Education, Council for Exceptional Children, Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children, Aurora Institute, and Education Trust.

Original source can be found here.